Raleigh - Cary - Durham, NC Open Carry

This is a discussion on Raleigh - Cary - Durham, NC Open Carry within the Open Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Good afternoon everyone!
I live in Raleigh, NC and I border Cary and Durham. Does anyone here OC in these cities? If so, what has ...

I've lived in the Triangle since 1975 and I've never once -- not once -- see anyone open carrying. Neither have others I've asked, just to make sure I'm not the world's least observant person. On the other hand, someone right here on this forum from Cary was OCing at a Kinko's and a woman cell-phoned the police, who bent him over the hood of his car and temporarily took his gun before realizing, "Oh, yeah, OC's legal in NC. Huh!"

So while it's legal you have to ask yourself one question: "Do you feel lucky?" I personally don't understand why anyone would want others to know they have a gun, but I know in the Wild West states like TX, KS, and UT nobody thinks a thing of it. But as is often pointed out, NC is the CA of the South; our CC option is virtually worthless because of all the restrictions (which obviously apply to OC as well).

I'm with dbglock... I've lived in the Triangle all of my 48 years and never seen anyone open carry. My 2 cents is, take the class, get your CCW and enjoy not being bent over the hood of a cop car. ;-)

That being said, I happened to have lunch with a buddy of mine who is a cop down near Fayetteville and we were chatting about concealed carry and touched on open carry and he said that yeah open carry is allowed... until someone calls the cops. One person doesn't like it, cops are called, it becomes a misdemeanor of some sort. Sorry I don't remember exactly as I'm not into open carry so I wasn't paying close attention. Just something to ponder and look into.

@iguanadon Thanks for the advice. I did OC in Brier Creek yesterday and no one said anything, Caribou Coffee. Other than the stare of a few people not a single care seemed to be given. Perhaps because my typical attire is dress pants, long sleeve shirt, cuff links and dress shoes; thus, I believe people are less "put off" by it due to my personal dress code.

The Misdemeanor you're referring to is "Going armed to the terror of people". Therefore, unless you're carrying it in your hand, waving it around, or exhibiting the weapon in a dangerous manner you're not guilty of a crime. I tend to only go into establishments with cameras so I get to use the "video playback" to my favor (even my own home has cameras inside and out for this same reason).

"One person doesn't like it, cops are called, it becomes a misdemeanor of some sort." - What disturbs me is the "some sort" statement coming from the words of a duly sworn officer...scary. I have my issues with some of the personnel who are hired to be LEOs, not the law itself, and I am a little concerned that he would state it is a misdemeanor of "some sort" without first proving one was openly carrying with the intent of "going armed to the terror of the public". Once again, not bashing him but I firmly believe that "some sort" in terms of crime should be two words that are non-existent in a LEO's vocabulary.

I do appreciate the advice from those who have lived around here for a long time because I have only lived here four years and I came from Florida, where OC is NOT allowed. Open Carry is new to me and to be honest I prefer it over concealed. I carry a RIA 1911 5" GI edition so concealed wouldn't be a word to describe this weapon if I could conceal it against my body frame (competition cyclist and triathele).

@dbglock - I kind of figured Cary wouldn't be the smartest place on Earth to carry openly but then again I only work in Cary and the Morrisville(sp?) line is about 1 minute away.

Hope to meet some people from around here and visit some other ranges (Range 37 being my personal favorite thus far).

To answer your question: NC law does not address Open Carry. It is neither legal or illegal. However, the law does address "armed to the terror of the public" with absolutely no specifics as to what constitutes the charge. The idea is to give the on-scene officer complete lattitude on how to deal with a "man with a gun" call. If the wrong cop responds to the call, your weapon could be confiscated and you could end up being arrested. Yes, you would probably be exonerated...eventually.

I've seen a few OC out here in Johnston County (very rarely), but NEVER in Wake or Durham Counties. As has been mentioned, get a CCW and then you don't have to worry about some Anti getting all freaked out & call the cops.

I've lived in the Triangle since 1975 and I've never once -- not once -- see anyone open carrying. Neither have others I've asked, just to make sure I'm not the world's least observant person. On the other hand, someone right here on this forum from Cary was OCing at a Kinko's and a woman cell-phoned the police, who bent him over the hood of his car and temporarily took his gun before realizing, "Oh, yeah, OC's legal in NC. Huh!"

So while it's legal you have to ask yourself one question: "Do you feel lucky?" I personally don't understand why anyone would want others to know they have a gun, but I know in the Wild West states like TX, KS, and UT nobody thinks a thing of it. But as is often pointed out, NC is the CA of the South; our CC option is virtually worthless because of all the restrictions (which obviously apply to OC as well).

If you decide to out yourself let us know how it goes, and good luck.

Actually, OC is illegal in TX. CC only, no printing.

I lived in KS until I was 18 and VERY rarely saw anyone open carry. Only til I was 18, though, so that doesn't really say much, and I didn't travel the whole state on a regular basis .

To answer your question: NC law does not address Open Carry. It is neither legal or illegal. However, the law does address "armed to the terror of the public" with absolutely no specifics as to what constitutes the charge. The idea is to give the on-scene officer complete lattitude on how to deal with a "man with a gun" call. If the wrong cop responds to the call, your weapon could be confiscated and you could end up being arrested. Yes, you would probably be exonerated...eventually.

I've seen a few OC out here in Johnston County (very rarely), but NEVER in Wake or Durham Counties. As has been mentioned, get a CCW and then you don't have to worry about some Anti getting all freaked out & call the cops.

Hey Robert, in response to your statement ""One person doesn't like it, cops are called, it becomes a misdemeanor of some sort." - What disturbs me is the "some sort" statement coming from the words of a duly sworn officer...scary. "

That was me saying 'of some sort', not him. As I mentioned I wasn't listening closely, so that's my fault and I miscommunicated what it was he said.

I hate when there are too many laws because that is tyranny; however, I dislike when the laws are so vague that it is up to the interpretation of a LEO which, if they're wrong, will end up costing me more money in lawyer fees than a typical LEO makes in a single year, sans overtime and detail. Once again, not all of them, but let's face the fact that some of them really did get C's and D's in high school so we're left to wonder just how good their judgement really is.

An email I received from them last week after completing a survey they were doing.

====

Hi Everyone:

Thanks for the huge number of responses to our survey! We have been overwhelmed by the positive responses and great ideas on how to make it a facility that the community can be proud of. We plan to implement many of the ideas and suggestions.

A few tidbits from the survey:

92% own firearms
50% own at least 5 firearms, and 15% own over 14!
78% want advanced training
97% like the location
44% want indoor archery
92% would be interested in buying an annual membership with no range fees, assuming reasonable price

Here is where we stand right now. We have an incredible 12.5 acre property under contract, with a 1.5 acre pond, and over 1000 ft of road frontage on I-540 near the Brier Creek Walmart. Our due diligence period is under way. We have attended the NRA Range Conference, and the NSSF Range Conference, and visited 30 ranges that have opened recently and are very successful. One very successful range is in Richmond, VA (Colonial Shooting Academy). They have been open since April, and have 1800 members all ready.

Our plans are to have 32 lanes to start. Classrooms, cafe, simulation rooms, retail will be open at the start. We also will have a lower level for expansion as needs dictate. A VIP area and lanes will be available too.

Our business plan is finished. Preliminary discussions with banks are very positive, and they have money to lend. We expect that our final loan/investment financing plan will be completed in a few weeks, as we continue to identify and meet with qualified prospective private investors who have indicated an interest in the project.
We thank you for your support, and please feel free to call or email for more information.

I was in there a few weeks ago looking at their Mosins that were still covered in Cosmoline and they mentioned their range...I didn't realize it was THAT big! I liked the experience there and they are super close to where I live in Brier Creek.

Be careful in NC, the majority of the people voted liberal during the last PONTUS election. NC is already the Kalifornia of the south and is slowly but surely turning into a liberal mindset like Chicago all over. Some places like the town of Cary is already there.

The police are not there to protect you from crime, they are there to arrest the guy after the crime has been committed, assuming they find him. It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your family.